What do you learn after 10 years training #children in drama and singing and at the same time building a national #franchise business?

I cannot believe that this month we celebrate our 10th Birthday at Little Voices. Little did I know that 10 years on from that conversation in a Blackburn coffee shop with fellow co founder Holly Hammond that Little Voices would be a national success, our 100% pass rate in all exams would remain across the country and I would be surrounded by the most caring, passionate and driven people striving to sustain our core beliefs every day.

In 2007 we did not start with the end goal in mind in fact quite the opposite. We had in our minds the word ‘excellence’. That was it. We wanted to provide ‘drama and singing lessons of distinction!’ We would do every element to the best of our ability and provide excellent tuition. We shared a passion for training children well in drama and singing, caring and nurturing their skills, helping them to believe in themselves and truly believed in the power of tuition in drama and singing to impact a child’s entire life – being honest we also benefited from of a few extra pounds in our bank accounts each month. Honestly that was it! 10 years on we are still ensuring that EVERY child leaves EVERY lesson knowing one thing that they have done well and one thing that they need to improve upon and striving for excellence in every part of the company.

A business really can grow from very humble beginnings and a couple of core elements despite a roller coaster 10 years with challenges galore I believe that we have kept what made Little Voices special at the heart of all that we do today.

We truly believe:

In gaining life skills to follow your dreams

That each and every person has something amazing to share

In inspiring everyone to be the best that they can be!

In being positive & happy – “You’re never fully dressed without a smile”

Learning should be a fun and a happy experience

And we are passionate about building confidence and nurturing talent

We do this by working with the most fantastic tutors and franchisees one could wish to know. I always say that there is no ‘I’ in team and there isn’t. We want to make a positive influence on as many children’s lives as possible and this is impossible to achieve alone. By franchising and recruiting excellent Principals and Tutors we have been able to bring Little Voices to so many more families across the UK and we are still growing!

We have shaped Little Voices to really stand out of the crowd. We are not a theatre school or a performance based training organisation. They exist in towns and cities across the country and they play an important part in a child’s development but fundamental to a child’s success is their belief in themselves and the nurturing of their individual strengths and weaknesses. They need individual attention, care and the time to have their skills nurtured.

We have worked hard to now shout from the rooftops that we sit in the education industry and provide inspirational music and drama education to all children working in partnership for the most part with schools. We work alongside schools both in the school day and as an activity accessible after school for those parents that want to ensure their child has life skills and the confidence to pursue any career that they choose to and all of this is done in a fun, structured way in a very small group. Every child takes examinations with L.A.M.D.A. and this helps them to embrace an examination situation in a positive way as well as building their CV from a very young age. As L.A.M.D.A.’s second biggest customer, globally, we are clearly doing something right both for the children and those that work with us.We take away the fear away from that word ‘exam’. Young people are assessed and examined throughout their school life and we can help children to approach this in a fearless way, positively and with confidence. At the same time children and parents are unknowingly building their child’s CV from a very young age and equipping them for interviews, presentations, meetings and a life of success in whichever career they choose!

Of course we have had several children that have gone on to pursue a professional career in the industry but the vast majority of our children leave us prepared for the big wide world of work in a range of professions that also happens to include the acting/music profession.We exist to help add important layers to a child’s education. It is all about the individual child and ensuring that they become the best that they can be.

So what have I learnt and what can I share:

You never stop learning and neither should you! Teaching is a vocation and it is a two way thing. Embrace it – I do! I am hungry to learn constantly. Children teach you so much about yourself as well as you facilitating their learning.

It’s not easy – Every challenge that you face should be embraced as an opportunity to learn.

You get out what you put in and sometimes you are putting so much in and getting very little out that it takes a strong mental determination and passion to keep you going. Take the rough with the smooth as my dad always said!

There is never a quick win it takes blood, sweat and tears and practice makes perfect!

If you are interested in receiving our 10th Anniversary Newsletter and maybe even having a chat about any aspect of Little Voices – joining us on our national mission, sending your child to lessons, teaching for us et al. please don’t hesitate to send me an email and we can take it from there. jane@littlevoices.org.uk